Oak Harbor City Council Lifts Gun Ban

OAK HARBOR, Wash. (AP) — A standing-room-only crowd that included many gun rights supporters was on hand last night as the city council in Oak Harbor voted to lift a ban on guns in local parks and marinas. The issue of guns grew heated at a Jan. 15 council hearing when Councilman Rick Almberg tried unsuccessfully to ban guns in the council chamber and Mayor Scott Dudley apologized to a military veteran speaker who was carrying a gun with a permit. That episode gained national attention. The council had faced a threat of lawsuits. A Superior Court judge struck down a 2009 Seattle ban on guns in parks and community centers.